Trump's White House claim comes back to bite him as demolition work begins
Donald Trump previously said that his new White House ballroom 'won't interfere with the current building' but construction workers began tearing down part of the East Wing on Monday
Donald Trump's previous comments about his new White House ballroom have come back to bite him as the president is accused of lying about how much the addition would impact the building.
Trump had previously said that his $250million ballroom would be "near" the existing structure, but would not change it. However, construction workers began tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, on Monday.
Dramatic new images of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. “It won’t interfere with the current building," the president said back in July, but what he didn't reveal was the big change Melania faces as he offices are bulldozed.
"It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it," he added. A clip of Trump's previous vow has been shared on X, where it has been viewed more than a million times, in the wake of the demolition.
Critics were quick to call the president out. "If his lips move, you can assume he's lying," one wrote.
A second commented: "He effortlessly lies like the rest of us breathe." A third noted: "Funny! The first term he called the WH a dump. He does not value the history of the WH and he doesn't deserve to be there!"
Another complained: "It doesn’t pay respect to the existing building. It destroys it to make room for an unnecessary space that has nothing to do with governing, democracy, or the American people. It is a ballroom. The purpose of a ballroom is to house balls. This is a very sad day."
The East Wing was built in 1902 and houses several offices, including those of the first lady. It has been renovated over the years, with a second story added in 1942.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the offices will be temporarily relocated during construction. "Nothing will be torn down," she said when the project was announced in July. Trump announced the start of construction in a Truth Social post on Monday.
He wrote: "I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!"
The president continued: "For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come! President DJT."
The White House has moved forward with the huge construction project despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area. Its chairman, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of Trump’s top aides, said at the commission’s September meeting that agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.
“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month. It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency’s review and approval.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will be the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition in 1948 of the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn, even dwarfing the residence itself. Trump believes that the East Room, the largest room in the White House, which has a 200-person capacity, is too small.
In July, he announced that the new ballroom would have a capacity of 650 people seated. However, while hosting a dinner last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money toward the project, Trump revealed it has since expanded in size.
He said the ballroom will now accommodate 999 people. The White House has said it will disclose information on who has contributed money to build the ballroom, but has yet to do so.